Leadership Mentor Program
Timeline: The Application Deadline has changed to June 15, 2025.
Purpose: The NAKHE Leadership Mentor Program (LMP) is designed to bring together members of the kinesiology community for a one-week “shadow” experience to build future leaders through hands-on mentoring and real-world scenarios. The program is also designed to build networking and social communication between university kinesiology departments from different locations inside and outside of the United States. The desired outcome is an increased level of awareness and understanding of the position and the job requirements of a kinesiology administrator on the part of the mentee.
Format: The suggested format for the LMP experience is a one-week (five-day) visit by an aspiring kinesiology administrator to the campus of an experienced kinesiology administrator (department chair or higher-level university administrator). The mentee will travel to the mentor’s University and spend five days (suggested Monday through Friday) working with the mentor. All meetings and events the mentor attends will be made available to the mentee (save for any inappropriate personnel meetings, etc.; the mentor will arrange alternative experiences). The intent is that the mentee will participate in all of the mentor's experiences, side-by-side, whenever possible.
Mentee Requirements: The mentee should be a full-time faculty member at a university in a kinesiology department with a rank no higher than associate professor. The mentee may not be, nor have ever been, a chair, dean or other administrative position. The mentee should aspire to become a university administrator as a career goal. The mentee has been a member of NAKHE for at least one year. The mentee is responsible for any additional costs outside the 5 days of travel or for upgrades to housing, as well as for their own food.
Mentor Requirements: A mentor must have a minimum of 5 years of experience as a chair, dean or higher-level administrator. The mentor is responsible for securing campus approval and locating reasonable housing for the mentee. This may come in the form of university housing or a hotel (the mentee has the option of not using this, but would be responsible for any additional costs). Additionally, the mentor agrees to coordinate transportation, university agendas, and any other logistical needs of the mentee.
Logistics: Prior to submitting the application, the mentor should have secured university approval to provide access to campus meetings. The mentor and mentee should have agreed upon travel dates, location and housing before submitting an application. (NOTE: Applications do not guarantee funding. Do not make travel arrangements until after the award is received.)
Grant Amounts: One award shall be granted to two individuals (mentee and mentor). The total amount awarded for the grant is $1800, the majority of which will fund the travel and housing costs for the mentee. Funds not used for travel or housing can be used as additional stipends. Up to three grants may be awarded in a given year. The NAKHE Executive Director will reimburse the mentee up to the limit of $1,800. Suggested budget guidelines are below:
Travel mentee: $500 mentor: $0
Housing mentee: $800 mentor: $0
Stipend mentee: $200 mentor: $300
$1500 $300
Application Process: Mentee/mentor pairings should (1) complete the LMP application and (2) upload the completed application along with the CVs of the mentee and the mentor. Links to download the LMP application and upload the CVs are posted below.
The Application Deadline has changed to June 15, 2025.
Exit Requirements: Upon receiving the award, the mentor and mentee agree to the following:
- Complete the one-week shadowing experience within one year of notification of application approval.
- Submit a proposal for a presentation for the NAKHE annual meeting. The focus should be a narrative of the leadership/administrative experience. In either the title or the submission, identify that the proposal is related to the LMP experience.
- Submit an editor-reviewed, co-authored manuscript to either the International Journal of Kinesiology in Higher Education or Quest within one year of the experience. The manuscript should focus on a topic important to the dyad or a point of interest specific to one party. It should NOT be a narrative of the experience.
LMP Committee: The committee shall consist of three voting members nominated by the LI Director and approved by the NAKHE Board of Directors. The Leadership Institute Director shall serve as an ex officio member.
Requests for more information should be sent to:
Jaime Mikell at jamie.mikell@athens.edu.
Download the Leadership Mentor Grant Application Form